X-Sight have announced the deployment of their FODetect system to Suvarnabhumi International Airport :

X-Sight Systems FODetect® Automated Foreign Object Debris Detection System has been successfully deployed and handed over to Airports of Thailand at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK)

Tel Aviv, March, 2012 – X-Sight Systems (Xsight) is proud to announce the handover of the FODetect system to Airports of Thailand (AOT). The system deployment process at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport’s (BKK) two runways lasted five months and was handed over after the system successfully passed a Site Acceptance Tests according to the FAA regulation for FOD detection equipment.

Foreign Object Debris (FOD) refers to any misplaced objects found on airport surfaces that could damage aircrafts, engines, tires or fuselage, presenting a risk to passenger safety, disrupting airport services, and leading to expensive repairs. FODetect is a leading automated FOD detection technology and has been tested by the FAA at Boston’s Logan International airport. FODetect was found to meet or exceed the highest level of performance in every parameter required by FAA regulation.

As Mr. Nutt, the Vice President of Aviation Safety at AOT notes: “Safety and security have and always will be our top priority. We are proud to utilize a cutting edge automated FOD detection technology. BKK will offer its operators, airlines and passengers the ultimate in runway safety”.

Mr. Alon Nitzan President and CEO of X-Sight Systems states: “We are delighted to handover the FODetect system to AOT. By choosing to equip their runways with Xsight’s innovative hybrid sensing solution, BKK has demonstrated a heightened commitment for safety by preventing FOD mishaps. The installed system already detected a hazardous FOD on one of the runways at the airport, which was retrieved immediately and demonstrated the system’s efficiency while contributing to runway safety”.

See the full press release here.

Charles de Gaulle Airport, where the Concorde accident occurred over 11 years ago have finally installed a FOD detection system, they have chosen to install a single FODspot unit at a taxiway intersection. I always thought that Charles de Gaulle should lead the way and be an early adopter of FOD detection technology, but they didn’t (luckily another airport did decide to lead the way).

So after 11 years of dithering the end result is a single safer taxiway intersection. Who knows, in 20-30 years they might have a safer runway, I for one won’t be holding my breath.

Download the Press Release (or don’t)

X-Sight have just released details of their contract to supply FODetect to Ben-Gurion International Airport (BGIA) in Tel Aviv, Israel.

From the press release:

The IAA’s selection of the FODetect® system for BGIA followed a rigorous two year evaluation process. The IAA determined that the Xsight FODetect® system is the best fit to the airport’s runway performance requirements. Furthermore, the IAA is confident that the FODetect® system will reduce the risk of FOD damage to aircrafts and thus increase flight safety for all passengers & cabin crew members alike.

I believe that the FODetect system was the only system that underwent an evaluation at BGIA. I also believe this is the first sale of a FODetect system.

Source (press release)

Xsight have announced the launch of a “new” product, named FODetect-intersections, here’s a quote from the press release:

Following demand from the world’s largest airports, Xsight Systems announces FODetect-Intersections; the first and only product offering low cost coverage for a single or small number of locations.

The current FODetect system uses a high number of short range sensors to cover a runway, while iFerret uses around 10, and Tarsier just 2 or 3. It’s clear to see that this “new” product from Xsight is trying to play to their strengths, it’s economically viable to deploy a single Xsight sensor (low-cost, short range) to cover a small intersection, it might even be practical to use an iFerret sensor, but a Tarsier sensor? with it’s greater than 1km range? One advantage of the Tarsier system is the fact that it can cover an entire runway with just 2-3 sensors, greatly minimising disruption to the airfield, but this makes the system quite impractical (well, uneconomical) for covering small areas, such as intersections. It’s clear to see why Xsight are now concentrating on these areas. But let’s be clear, this is not the only reason Xsight have diversified, FODetect is the only system so far to have not made a single sale, if FODetect were selling well I doubt very much they would be diversifying with this new Intersections product.

It’s not dissimilar to the direction in which Stratech are taking their iFerret system, they have been emphasising the fact that their system can be deployed on aprons, while the QinetiQ team and their Tariser system continue to concentrate on runways. It’s interesting to see this fragmentation occur, could we one day see all three systems deployed at a single airport? Tarsier covering the runways, iFerret the taxiways and aprons, and FODetect-Intersenctions, the intersections? God I hope not, at least not yet, these systems all have their proprietary data formats, and would all require an extra console in the ops centre. The fact that the current systems on the market do not share a common data format is something I will write about at a later date. As the guy behind the Tarsier Toolbox I have very strong feelings regarding FOD data, and how it could (should) be recorded in a common format, and even shared with the rest of the aviation industry, in much the same way as bird strike data is, but more on that at a later date. (more…)